“I don’t know how it can happen time and time again [at Stamford Bridge].

“There’s a fundamental flaw in the mentality. It’s the mentality of once they win they think they’ve done it, they get carried away, they drop off.

“They signed Bakayoko, they signed Rudiger, Morata, Drinkwater. How much is that? £125-130m worth? I find it difficult to hear: ‘he hasn’t signed any players’. That’s a lot of players, that’s a lot of money.”

Reports have suggested Conte’s job at Chelsea could be on the line if they suffer an embarrassing defeat to United and former boss Mourinho heading in to the international break.